Word of God, Art of Man: The Qur'an and its Creative Expressions

Selected Proceedings from the International Colloquium, London, 18-21 October 2003

Edited by Fahmida Suleman

First comprehensive collection of essays in English to cover artistic expressions of the Qur'an in a wide range of media, from manuscripts, architecture and textiles to coinage and contemporary painting

Illustrated throughout in full colour, with some artefacts published for the first time

Word of God, Art of Man: The Qur'an and its Creative Expressions

Selected Proceedings from the International Colloquium, London, 18-21 October 2003

Edited by Fahmida Suleman

Description

Muslim reverence for the Qur'an as the Word of God has manifested itself in various artistic forms throughout history and up to the present day. This innovative collection of essays explores creative expressions of the Qur'an in a wide range of media. Contributors include museum curators and leading academics in art and architectural history, palaeography and material anthropology, and their studies span four continents and cover topics from medieval coins and early illuminated copies of the Qur'an to contemporary painting. They offer a multidisciplinary approach to the questions of how, why and in what contexts the Qur'an has inspired Muslim artists and craftspeople to adorn the spaces they inhabit and the objects they cherish with its verses. The volume includes 120 colour illustrations, some published for the first time, and an extensive bibliography.

Word of God, Art of Man: The Qur'an and its Creative Expressions

Selected Proceedings from the International Colloquium, London, 18-21 October 2003

Edited by Fahmida Suleman

Table of Contents

1. Introduction, Fahmida SulemanOpening Reflections 2. 1 The Qur'an as a source of artistic inspiration, Oleg GrabarQur'anic Calligraphy and Inscriptions in the Medieval Muslim World 3. Beyond the secular and the sacred: Qur'anic inscriptions in medieval Islamic art and material culture, Doris Behrens-Abouseif4. Arts of the 'Celestial Pen': Qur'ans from the Library of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, Duncan Haldane5. Qur'anic inscriptions on Sinan's imperial mosques: a comparison with their Safavid and Mughal counterparts, Gulru Necipoglu6. 'And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truthfulness and righteousness': Qur'anic inscriptions on Fatimid coinage, AH 296-488/AD 909-1095, Alnoor Jehangir MerchantAmulets,Talismans and Magic 7. Amulets inscribed with the names of the 'Seven Sleepers' of Ephesus in the British Museum, Venetia Porter8. A magic mirror in the Louvre and additional observations on the use of magic mirrors in Yemen today, Anne Regourd9. Persian glosses on a Qur'anic manuscript from Central Asia, Marie EfthymiouThe Qur'anic Text in Recent Times 10. The art of Qur'anic penmanship and illumination among Muslim scholars in southwestern Nigeria, Ismaheel Akinade Jimoh11. The art of the Qur'an in Southeast Asia, Annabel Teh Gallop12. Qur'anic inscriptions on woodcarvings from the Malay Peninsula, Huism Tan13. Sacred calligraphy in contemporary art, Ayse TurgutQur'anic Inscriptions on Textiles 14. Ka'ba covers and their inscriptions, Hulya Tezcan15. Qur'anic inscriptions on the so-called 'Pennon of Las Navas de Tolosa' and three Marinid banners, Miriam Ali-de-UnzagaFinal Reflections 16. Written, spoken, envisioned: the many facets of the Qur'an in art, Sheila S. Blair